Painting You
by PhoenixDowner
Summary: Roxas was surrounded by a bunch of art students with their sketchbooks out and their easels up. The whole thing had been clinical and professional so far. No one was ogling him or gawking at him, and they were treating this like it was just another day of art class. There was just one catch. Naminé was here. (College/University AU)


A/N: This fic features nude figure modeling, but it does not have any sexual content. Just wanted to give you all a heads up!

* * *

It's an easy way to make money, they said. It's really not that awkward, they said. No one cares that you're naked, they said.

But Roxas cared. Here he was, surrounded by a bunch of art students with their sketchbooks out and their easels up, and he couldn't help but feel self-conscious as fifteen pairs of eyes kept looking at him and carefully scrutinizing his body to figure out how best to capture it on paper. At least he was seated on his stool in the classic "Thinker" pose, so it wasn't like he had to stand up for hours on end. The whole thing had been clinical and professional so far, to the professor's credit. No one was ogling him or gawking at him, they were treating this like it was just another day of art class. There was just one catch.

Naminé was here.

He felt a blush creep up his face as he tried to avoid her eyes. She was the cute girl from his art history class (hey, he had to take something to satisfy that particular gen ed requirement) who always smiled and waved at him when he slunk in the lecture hall every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Truth be told, he could probably have gotten by with only showing up for tests for that class, which was what Sora and Riku had started doing by the second week, but something about Naminé's smile drew him back, every time.

He stole stealthy glances at her now as she drew him. Her eyes were focused on the easel in front of her, and her blond hair cascaded down her shoulders. She chewed her lip a little as her hand flew across the paper, and then she glanced at him again.

Oops, too late to look away. Their eyes met, and damn, hers were pretty. Soft blue with just a hint of violet. She smiled softly, just a slight curve of her lips, and his blush got worse. It was bad enough he was getting flustered around her, worse still that he was buck naked while it was happening.

He had to think of something else, and quick. Something boring that would take his mind off of what was happening. When he'd signed up for this gig, he had no idea she would be here. He'd walked in the room in just a robe, expecting to see a bunch of strangers, only for her to enter, with her sweet smile and her pretty hair and her nice eyes and this blouse and skirt that just—

Not helping, not helping.

Boring things, boring things. Chores. Cleaning. That was boring. And he had to stop looking at Naminé, had to stop thinking about her. Had to focus on the boring stuff.

He managed in the end by mentally going over all the homework he had to finish by next Monday. The professor wrapped the class up, and never had he been more grateful for the excuse to throw on a flimsy robe.

Naminé took her time gathering her supplies, and by the time she was done, most of the other students had already left. He cleared his throat, and she glanced up at him shyly.

"Roxas, right?" she said.

"Um, yeah."

"From my art history class?"

He nodded.

"Didn't expect to see you here," she said with an airy giggle.

"Didn't expect to see you here, either," he mumbled, then wanted to smack himself. Really? That was the best he could come up with?

"You did great," she said. "It was really easy to draw you. I'm guessing this was your first time though?"

He nodded again. "Yeah. Figured I could use the extra cash. I just wasn't expecting to run into a classmate."

She frowned and pressed her fingers together. "Oh, well, if you're uncomfortable with me being here, you can request to model for a different class—"

"No, that's okay," he said way too quickly. Gah, what was his issue with this girl? Normally he was the smooth one and teasing the other guys about how awkward they were around their crushes, but now the tables had turned.

"I, um, this time is better for me," he added lamely. "I don't think I could come to any of the other classes."

"If you're sure," she said. "I don't want you to feel awkward."

"Oh, um, this isn't that big a deal," he said as he scratched the back of his neck. "Just doing it for the money, you know." He flashed her a grin. "Beats bussing tables or something like that. In a way, it's kind of nice having a bunch of people staring at me like I'm a work of art."

She laughed, and his grin got bigger. Man, her laugh was really nice to hear.

The conversation kind of died down after that until she said, "So, Roxas, I'll see you in class on Monday?"

"Yeah, I'll see you on Monday."

She nodded, and with that, she left the room. He caught himself staring after her until he remembered he still needed to change into his regular clothes. Man, he had it bad. At this rate, everyone was gonna figure it out.

Oh well. If it meant he had a shot at asking her out, it would be worth it.

* * *

For the next session, there was a table in the room for Roxas to lie on instead of a stool. The table was covered in blankets and a pillow to make it more comfortable, and Roxas was lying down on his back with his elbows propping him up and with one leg bent at the knee. Made for a more "interesting" pose or something, and it was definitely trickier to hold than the first pose.

Try as he might, he couldn't help but steal glances at Naminé. She was hard at work as she drew him, her hand flying across the paper as she glanced at him every now and then. A part of him wished he could see what he looked like through her eyes and captured on paper. But he didn't have the guts to ask her yet.

By the time this session was over, he was a little stiff, and it took him a minute to fumble enough to get the robe on this time. She was still gathering up her pencils and paints and brushes when their eyes met again, and most of the other students were already gone again.

"Well?" he said. "How'd it go this time?"

"Very well. I think I'm getting the hang of drawing you, and tonight I experimented around with adding a little color, too. Would you like to see?"

"Sure."

He walked behind her and stared. Woah, she was really good. The drawing, er, painting of him was really lifelike but still had its own style. He could tell it was him, but it was like seeing a version of himself he hadn't known existed before. An idealized version that was strong and muscular and lying around like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Do you like it?" she said shyly.

"Yeah. I've never seen myself through someone else's eyes like this before. It's pretty cool."

Her breath caught, and she ducked her head. "I… I'm glad you like it," she finally managed, and he grinned.

"Sure I do. You're a good artist, Naminé."

"And you're a good model," she said, then looked up at him for a moment with her mouth slightly open. And was it just him, or were her cheeks turning red?

"Um, I'll see you in class," she sputtered as she hurriedly gathered the rest of her things and was out the door before he had the chance to process what had happened.

Was it possible she was crushing on him too?

* * *

The final session, the professor let the students choose the pose for Roxas. After having him try out a few things, including posing with a walking stick, they settled on having him standing with his hands resting on the back of a chair, and they each drew him and painted him from a different angle.

Naminé was seated straight across from him, so she was doing a profile sketch and then painting. Their eyes met more often than usual this time, probably because she was focused on getting his face right. He smiled and sighed, and she smiled shyly back as she continued her work.

When the students were done for the evening, the professor asked if they wouldn't mind staying a little while longer so that Roxas could take a look at their work. He slipped his robe back on and wandered from canvas to canvas. They were all talented artists, and he enjoyed seeing all of their pieces, but as he looked at Naminé's, he knew she was a cut above the rest.

While the others had successfully captured the mole he had on his arm, the birthmark on his leg, the odd scar here and there, only she had captured all of that plus the small speck in his right eye that was a shade darker than the rest of his iris. Only she had gazed into his eyes long enough to notice that detail.

And because of that careful attention to detail, it was like she really had captured his essence on paper. Maybe it was his smile or the twinkle in his eyes, but it really did feel like he was looking at himself. But not just any version of himself. This was how he must look when he was looking at her, and maybe that was why her painting stood out above all the others'.

He grinned and complimented her again, and she ducked her head and blushed. Then he thanked them all for letting him see their work, and the professor thanked him for coming and dismissed the class.

He waited for Naminé to gather her things, then took a deep breath and walked over to her. Her painting tonight had finally given him the guts to do what he'd been itching to do for a while now.

"Well," he said, casually, lazily, and she looked up, her face questioning, curious, "since you've already seen me naked, how about I take you out for coffee? My treat."

She dropped her art supplies, and Roxas stooped to help her gather them. They accidentally bumped heads, and they both said, "Ouch!" and sat back and rubbed their foreheads at the same time.

"Sorry about that," Roxas said with a sheepish grin. He gathered up the rest of the supplies and handed them back to her.

"Yes," she said softly.

"Huh?"

"I mean… yes, I'd like to go out for coffee with you," she clarified. She couldn't manage to meet his eyes, and her cheeks were burning, but she'd gotten the words out all the same. Man, could she get any cuter? He was already crushing on her hard, and everything she did just endeared her to him that much more.

"So it's a date?"

"It is," she said with a shy smile as she gathered her things to her chest and tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear. She finally managed to meet his eyes, and now it was like they couldn't look away from each other.

"Is tomorrow at seven a good time?" he said. "I can take you to that new coffee place across from campus, The Highwind I think it's called?"

"Sure, I'd like that."

"Meet you there? Or would you like me to come pick you up at your dorm?"

"It would be nice to walk there with you. If it's not too much to ask… could you stop by my dorm?"

"Of course," he said. "See you then."

He waited till she had left the room to really celebrate, but as soon as she was out of earshot, he grinned and let out a whoop and a holler.

He had a date! Naminé wanted to go out with him!

Signing up for these modeling sessions hadn't been a mistake after all. It was the best decision he'd made in a long time.

"Oh, Roxas?" Naminé asked, startling him and making him whirl around. Oops. She hadn't been gone after all.

"I… I want you to have these," she said, then handed him every single one of the drawings and paintings she'd made of him.

"Thanks, Naminé," he said with a smile. "But wouldn't you like to keep at least one?"

"I would like that, very much. I think… if it's okay with you… I'll keep the one I drew tonight."

"Sure."

Roxas handed that one back and kept the rest, and even though that was his favorite one, he didn't mind that she was keeping it. It was the best picture of him anyone had ever made, and she deserved to have it.

He couldn't wait for their first date.

* * *

A/N: This fic is for my friend RapisRazuri whose birthday is today! She has been so supportive of me and my writing ever since I met her, and I wanted to do something to show my appreciation. Happy Birthday Rapis! Thank you for the support, and thank you to everyone who read this fic!


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